


Acquiesce

by SuperFlashWest



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, More Character Cameos To Come, Romance, Solo Flash, Team Flash, There's Plenty of Gay, barry is sad, more characters will be added, post-season 6
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26861794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperFlashWest/pseuds/SuperFlashWest
Summary: As you may have noticed, I deleted my other two multi-chapter fics. I just had zero motivation and inspiration to continue them and it felt weird to keep them up unfinished.SO. I'm here starting a new one that I'm really excited about. This is VERY focused on Barry, with a very healthy dose of Iris and other side characters. There's one in particular that I'm excited about bringing into the fold, and others I'm excited to bring back.It's my way of changing some things about the show based on what I want to see. I'm sure whatever we get will be amazing, but it's been fun to make things MY way XDI hope you guys enjoy this first chapter! I have NO idea how long it will be. Buckle up, everyone!
Relationships: Barry Allen & Joe West, Barry Allen & Wally West, Barry Allen/Iris West, Iris West & Linda Park
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As you may have noticed, I deleted my other two multi-chapter fics. I just had zero motivation and inspiration to continue them and it felt weird to keep them up unfinished.  
> SO. I'm here starting a new one that I'm really excited about. This is VERY focused on Barry, with a very healthy dose of Iris and other side characters. There's one in particular that I'm excited about bringing into the fold, and others I'm excited to bring back.  
> It's my way of changing some things about the show based on what I want to see. I'm sure whatever we get will be amazing, but it's been fun to make things MY way XD  
> I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter! I have NO idea how long it will be. Buckle up, everyone!

_“Barry! Get your ass down here! Joe’s finally finished the casserole!”_

_Barry thundered down the stairs after washing his hands, a content smile on his face. The smile dropped a little when he hit the bottom landing and saw Iris sitting on an armchair, far away from anyone else in the house._

_Ever since they’d gotten her out of the mirror, she’d been acting weird. Mostly just distant towards everybody, which he understood. Carver had mentioned that Iris might never be the same since she had been in the mirror so long. And he was trying really hard to be patient with her. It was just difficult because he’d missed her so much and now she flinched whenever he so much as touched her arm._

_“Do you wanna cook next time?” He heard Joe’s snappy retort to Cisco’s teasing comment as he walked past one of the doorways to the kitchen and towards Iris._

_He crouched near her chair and his heart ached when she jumped a little, as if she hadn’t seen or heard him coming and was weary of his presence._

_“Hey,” Barry spoke softly, “Did you hear Cisco? Dinner is ready.” He really wanted to reach out and hold her hand but refrained, not wanting to scare her._

_She finally tore her gaze from the window and nodded. She didn’t say a word, but when he stood up and waited for her to go first, he saw the hint of a smile on her face._

_The rest of the team was waiting for them, two steamy pans of Joe’s casserole on either end of the table. Joe was at the head of the table, smiling when they appeared in the doorway. His smile was a little sad, worry for his daughter clouding his normally friendly brown eyes._

_Everyone seemed to be on the same page in that regard. There were smiles, but they weren’t explicitly happy. There was some tiredness, some sadness, some worry._

_The whole Mirror Mistress situation had really taken a toll on them, in different ways for each person._

_Barry pulled out Iris’ chair for her and sat at the other head of the table, tucking it in and looking around at everyone._

_“Okay.” Joe clapped his hands together, some false cheeriness in his tone. “Let’s dig in, guys. Don’t be shy.”_

_The sound of clinking plates and glasses filled the silence as everyone scooped portions of food on their plates and filled their wine glasses._

_Wally was the first to break up the awkward sound of chewing, when he started talking eagerly to Chester about his powers. And that seemed to make everyone ease up, they just needed someone to act like everything was okay even if it really wasn’t._

_Barry could feel it in his bones, they were at a tipping point. He had this perpetual feeling in his gut like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for someone to break into Joe’s house and ruin their happiness again. It seemed like that always happened anyways._

_He talked to Cecile a bit, asking some things about baby Jenna. Then he talked to Cisco about the tech he’d gotten from Atlantis and they refined more of their ideas on how they were going to use that to make their own speedforce using Nora’s book. (Barry always kept the book with him. Partly because it was so helpful and her insights were interesting to read, but also because it made him feel close to her in a weird way)._

_When they finished dinner, they moved to the living room for some dessert and more wine._

_Cisco had been drinking a little much and was regaling the team with stories about what he’d seen in Atlantis. Apparently, it was a tech wonderland and Cisco told the stories with a sense of childlike wonder in his eyes._

_With everyone else distracted by Cisco’s animated stories, Barry waited until Iris got up to go to the kitchen and refill her glass before getting up and following her._

_He’d had something on his mind for a few days now that he had been wanting to talk to Iris about and it seemed like a good a time as any._

_“Hey, Iris?” Barry asked softly, letting his fingers rest on the counter and linger near her own. She gulped down a bit of the wine she just poured and looked up at him._

_“Yeah?”_

_Barry cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking that maybe you should get out of the city for a bit, clear your head. Cisco talking about his trip to Atlantis kinda reignited that idea in my head.”_

_“You mean together?” She asked softly, playing with the rim of her glass._

_Barry hesitated, biting his lip. He moved around to her other side where they were facing each other better. “No, I meant just you. I was thinking you could go to Wally’s apartment in Keystone when he heads back. Maybe you can help Chester get settled in too since he’s moving out there to be closer to his mom.”_

_It was a conversation he and Chester had a couple days after they sent Mirror Mistress to Iron Heights. The whole situation, especially the part with Iris, had shaken everyone up a lot more than anyone would admit._

_Truthfully, they had almost lost her. Again._

_Another day or two and she might’ve lost her sanity for good and there would have been no getting Iris back. The thought scared him and brought him back to the times with Savitar and that was time he never, ever wanted to relive ever again._

_So even if it hurt him to be away from her again, he wanted her to get better. And maybe the best way to do that was to be away from Central City for a bit._

_“Do you-“ She licked her lips, “Do you want me to go away for a while?”_

_Barry’s stomach lurched at the hurt tone of her voice, “No!” He practically shouted, catching himself a moment later and quieting down a little with a glance at the doorway. He could still hear them talking and laughing in the living room._

_He turned back to Iris. “No, Iris. That’s not it at all. I just want what’s best for you. I…” He sighed dejectedly, “You aren’t okay, and I understand. Well, no I don’t. None of us could ever fully understand what you went through in there. But you need a break, from me, from Central City, from the team. Clear your head, get some distance from everything that has caused you so much pain. I miss you, I miss seeing you bright and happy and excited to go to work.”_

_Iris was looking at him directly in the eye, something she hadn’t been able to do since before she got stuck in the mirror. There was also a softness there that made his throat clog up._

_“You’re right. I just don’t feel like any of this is real. Does that make any sense? I spent months in that mirror just trying to remember what you smelled like. How it felt to have your arms around me. What it felt like to hear dads voice singing a jazz tune under his breath while we did dishes here together. Having all that back, having you all back now doesn’t feel real. It’s like I’m just going through the motions. I just… I don’t know.”_

_Barry nodded enthusiastically, completely understanding that what she was feeling was very complicated._

_“But I promise, I just want you to be alright.” Barry reached forward and internally cheered when she didn’t flitch at his soft touch. Her hand curled around his and the warmth from her fingertips immediately soothed him._

_“Are we okay? You and I? Things have felt really weird the past few days.” She asked, her voice a little shaky._

_Barry smiled reassuringly at her. “Always. This will make us even stronger too. You need to feel better before you can get back into this stuff.”_

_“You think Wally will be okay with me sleeping on his couch?” She smiled up at him._

_Barry laughed. “As if he’ll let you sleep on a couch. You’ll be sleeping in his bed.”_

_“I’ll miss you though.” She said softly. He was so happy she was opening up to him right now. He was happy just to see her smile a little._

_He reached up and his thumb softly glazed over the corner of her smile. “I’ll miss you too. When you get back, hopefully I’ll have my speed back. I’ll take you to Paris, okay?”_

_Iris laughed, a slight glaze of tears in her eyes. “Okay. I’m holding you to that, Barry Allen.”_

“Allen.”

“Allen!”

“ALLEN!”

Barry startled, shooting up from his desk. A piece of paper was stuck to his cheek and he looked around, disoriented.

“Wha-“ He turned towards the door to see officer Desmond looking at him like he was a wild, untamed creature.

The officer stepped further into Barry’s lab, glancing around at the mess of papers and tech scattered all over various surfaces. “You alright, Allen? You seem really tired lately. I’ve never known you to sleep so much on the job.”

Barry blushed a little, nodding. “Yeah. Just stretching myself too thin lately.” He wasn’t lying, he really had thrown himself into everything harder than he ever had before.

With so many changes lately, spending so much time out in the city as The Flash had been easier than facing everything. That would make it all real.

The officer looked at him sympathetically. “Just take care of yourself, kid.” He instructed, “Now, I was sent up here by Captain West. He wants to know how far along you are with the Harris case. He’s waiting for the report. And he wants you to bring it directly to his office when you’re done.”

Barry nodded, shuffling around some papers in front of him before finding what he was looking for. Thanks, Desmond. I’ll get these to the captain asap.”

Desmond smiled at Barry before tipping his hat and backing out the door.

Barry yawned and took a sip of the mug in front of him, cringing at the cold, bitter taste of hour-old coffee. He grabbed the report and pen, pushing off the table in his chair and rolling over to his electrophoresis machine. He popped the correctly labeled vials of blood into the machine and smacked the side of it to get it going.

Freaking old machines. Maybe he should talk to Joe about getting some upgraded machines up here.

He played with his pen and waited for it to finish, writing down a few notes as he recalled things about the case and observed the machine work.

The machine beeped, signaling that it was finished and Barry took out the blood, finishing up his report and signing it off with his name.

He flicked the machine off and grabbed his sweater, making his way downstairs. He waved and greeted various officers politely, headed straight for Joe’s office.

Knocking on the door, he waited for Joe to give the okay before he opened the door. Joe was sitting at his desk, phone pressed between his ear and shoulder. He gestured for Barry to come inside before speaking back into the receiver and telling whoever it was on the other end that he needed to call him back later.

Joe hung up and Barry smiled, albeit a little forcefully. “I got the report you were asking for. Sorry it’s a little late, I kinda fell asleep up there for a couple hours.”

Normally, Joe would be stern with Barry and remind him that just because he was his father in law, that doesn’t mean he gets to slack off. Then he’d remind Barry in a whisper that he had superspeed and there was no excuse for him not to have the reports back to him on time.

But right now he just looked at him with sadness and worry in his eyes. “You have to stop doing this, Barry. Did you even sleep last night?”

Barry felt himself get a little annoyed at the accusing tone in Joe’s voice.

“There was a shootout last night. Those officers needed my help. I was already up and across town so I figured I might as well help clean some other things up over there. It’s not a big deal, Joe.” Barry defended, interlocking his fingers and playing with them.

He felt like he was in the principal’s office right now, being given a stern talking to.

Joe sighed. “Maybe not, if this were the first time you’d pulled an all-nighter out there. You’re going to crash and burn if you keep pushing yourself like this.”

Barry felt himself snap, a tightly coiled wire in his gut breaking as it often had the past few months. “What am I supposed to do, Joe?! I’m all alone out there! This whole city is suddenly all my responsibility. I’m doing the best I can!”

The other man didn’t look shocked by his outburst, in fact, he looked resigned to the fact that Barry was probably going to have blown up at him no matter what he said. The idea that Joe expected this kind of behavior from him made him burn with guilt.

“I know.” Joe said softly. “I’m just worried about you. So is Iris. We just want you to be able to talk to us. Even if it’s just to scream a bit. It’s okay to be angry.”

Barry looked down, feeling that guilt grow and burn in his stomach. He deflated and looked up at Joe after a moment. “I’m sorry, Joe. I just don’t know how to balance everything now. I’m so used to everyone just being there…”

Joe opened his mouth to responded when the door suddenly popped open and Cecile poked her head through.

“Honey, I-“ She stopped abruptly when she saw that Barry was sitting across from Joe. “Oh. I’m so sorry, I can come back later. Or we can reschedule for tomorrow.”

Barry answered her before Joe could, “Reschedule what?”

“Oh,” She waved it off like it was nothing, “We were just going to grab dinner and go over a case I’m working on. But it’s no big deal. Its just a dinner.”

She started backing out again before Barry stood quickly. “No. Please go to your dinner. You hardly ever have time together anymore. Joe and I can continue our conversation later.”

“Barry-“ Joe interrupted.

“Joe.” Barry smiled at him. “It’s fine. Iris and I will come by for dinner later this week, alright? Promise.”

He felt really bad for snapping at Joe and for potentially being the reason he couldn’t go out and have a nice lunch with his fiancée.

Joe nodded but still looked like he wanted to argue. “Okay. But you go home and get some rest. I’m sending you home early.” He told Barry sternly.

Barry saluted and sent him another smile. He passed Cecile in the doorway, squeezing her forearm affectionately and letting her know that it was okay. She looked guiltily and sympathetically at him.

He could feel their eyes on his back as he walked away and back to his lab to grab his stuff.

He cleaned up a little and put on his coat, throwing a bag around his shoulder before sending off a quick reply to Iris’ text that she would be a little late for dinner tonight.

There was a little disappointment in his gut, but he knew she was just out doing her job and Barry was more than thrilled to see her completely back in the swing of work. She still wasn’t operating at 100% all the time, he could see the cracks in her façade every once in a while.

But she was doing so much better than he couldn’t ever guilt her into spending more time with him than she already was.

He took after at a run, bypassing all the goodbyes and the “you look tired, Allen” comments he’d no doubt receive from people.

Truth was, as lonely as he felt right now, being on the receiving end of the pitying looks was far worse.

He rushed to the Missouri river and looked around. Seeing no one else there, he plopped down in the dirt and sand, setting his backpack beside him.

This had been his favorite place to think recently. It was far enough from main roads that traffic was light and it was quieter.

The view of the open water was spectacular and at night he could see the reflection of the moon shimmering on the surface of the water.

He reached into the front pouch of his backpack and pulled out his earpiece.

Immediately, a voice asked jovially, “Good evening, Barry Allen. Is there anything I can assist you with tonight?”

Barry rested his arms on his knees, watching the water. “Evening, Gideon. Not right now. I just want to talk to someone.”

“Okay.” Gideon responded, not unkindly but not like a normal person would. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Anything.” Barry responded, picking at a patch of grass near his foot. “I like talking to you, Gideon.”

“That’s nice of you to say.” Gideon responded, sounding genuine. “Why don’t we talk about how you’re feeling? Is your speed staying in tact with the new speedforce?”

Barry lifted his hand and vibrated it, feeling relieved everytime he was able to use his powers without fear of them being all used up.

“I feel great, actually. It feels no different from when I was using the other speedforce. Wally said he’s been able to talk to this speedforce again too. So it must be doing well.”

“That’s great to hear. And how are _you_ doing?” She asked.

Barry smiled. “Are you asking about my emotional state, Gideon?”

“It’s something you programmed me to do, so yes.” She responded automatically.

He chuckled a little and leaned back on his hands in the dirt. “I’m alright. I just miss them is all.”

“It’s normal to feel sad about friends leaving.”

Barry nodded. “I know. But I also feel kind of angry at them, you know? It feels like they abandoned me. And I know that’s wrong. They dedicated years of their life to helping me and helping the city. They deserve to go off and have their own lives now. It just stings that they kinda left at the same time. Like they all had this conversation and decided to leave me alone at the same time.”

Gideon took a second to process all of this words before responding. “It is the natural course of life. People come and go. They’re still your friends.”

“I guess I just wasn’t ready for them to go. I thought we’d be together for a bit longer. Now, Team Flash is just… gone.” He shrugged his shoulders, feeling the tension creep in.

“We are never ready for people to exit our lives. But you’ll always have people. Your wife being the prime example.”

Barry grinned at that. “Thanks, Gideon. You’re getting better at this whole pep talk thing.”

He remembered when he first took Gideon out and started to talk to her. She’d been stiff and robotic-like in the beginning. Eventually, she’d eased up and as her programming got used to Barry and his emotions, she became more in-tune with him.

It was nice. Because she didn’t judge him at all and given that she was his A.I., she understood things about him that not even he fully did.

“Why thank you. I’ve been trying to be more emotional as of late.” She answered after a moment. “Oh, and you just got a text from Iris. You left your phone at the precinct.”

“Oh shit.” Barry stood up, dusting off his pants. “What did she say?”

“She said she’ll be home in twenty minutes. Traffic is awful tonight.” Gideon recited.

He relaxed a little. It would only take him a minute to go grab his phone, pick up a pizza, and head back home.

He kicked some stray rocks and looked at the water again. He loved this city so much.

Yeah, it was the site of a lot of bad memories. So much death and hurt.

But it was also where he had a million good memories to match.

This spot, for example, was where he first learned to run on water.

Cisco and Caitlin had been in his ear, encouraging him and giving him the strength he needed to do what had to be done.

They’d lost a meta that day, but her sacrifice hadn’t been in vain.

“I don’t know how to be The Flash without them, Gideon.” He said quietly after several minutes of silent reminiscing.

If Gideon could put a comforting hand on his shoulder, he was sure she would’ve. “That will just have to be your next journey, Barry Allen. You’ll need to rediscover who you are. On your own.”

Her words were both a comfort and they made his stomach twist with sadness. She was right, but that didn’t mean he was happy to not have his best friends by his side anymore.

He picked up his bag.

“I think you’re right, Gideon. Thanks. Now let’s go home.”

“You’re the boss.” Gideon responded cheerfully.

Barry laughed and then he was gone in a burst and red and yellow lightning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2, incoming! Hope you all enjoy! Still establishing the overall plot, so I'm sorry if it's not moving fast enough for you. That's not really how I work. I like slow-burn and lots of buildup ;)  
> I'll be trying to update every Tuesday, by the way. Since it IS Flash Day :D

**Just Outside Central City**

**Abandoned Coal Factory**

Rain pattered against the thin panels of the smallest building in Central City’s Industrial Zone.

The area was otherwise abandoned, given that this sector had closed down three years ago. But in that small building, two men were speaking in hushed tones, knowing how often things in Central City never stayed quiet for long.

Inside the building was mostly debris and dust from abandoned factory materials and the remains of the old building that had begun to fall from the roof.

There was a single lamplight on and it was placed on the corner of the only used desk in the vicinity.

Sitting down, there was the first man, his hair a dusty black and his trench coat dirty. The second was leaning against a pillar, arms crossed as he looked at the other man with a look of disdain. The kind of look you give to someone you dislike, but that you know you’re forced to deal with.

The second man spoke in a deep, quiet tone, “Are you sure nobody knows about this? What about Rory?”

Spinning around in a creaky chair, the second man, Digger Harkness just grinned toothily. “Well, I did send my man in to steal the book that short man was using to collect information. Two of my guys spotted him months earlier traversing the globe. And _he_ is nowhere to be found in that book. They have no idea. Plus, you know Rory has aligned himself with that scum. He doesn’t know either.” He said that last part with a sneer.

“And you don’t think he’d seek out Rory first?” The other man asked.

“No.” Digger said patiently, inspecting his boomerang and poking the pointy tip with one gloved finger. “This Rory isn’t the one he knew. This Rory is a _hero_.” He said the word like it was a curse, that physically pained him to say.

“I’m putting a lot on the line here, trusting your info.” The second man eyed Digger up and down with his nose slightly raised in disgust.

Digger laughed, a dark, annoying laugh that had the second man rolling his eyes. “What’s the matter, Marky? Don’t trust me?”

“Never in a million fucking years.” He snorted. “But unfortunately, you’re all I’ve got right now. So, you’ll have to do.”

Digger laughed, putting his hand over his heart mockingly, “Stop flattering me. I’m blushing.”

Mark rolled his eyes, pushing off the pillar and making his way to desk, picking up the notebook. He flipped through it. Cisco Ramon was thorough; he’d give him that much. He found a lot of metas that Mark didn’t even know were still kicking.

Digger chucked the boomerang across the room and caught it like it was nothing when it rebounded. “So, _boss_ ,” He mocked, “What’s our next move?”

Mark Mardon pat Digger hard on the back, nearly making him fall off the chair.

“Now, we find the other four. I have one already locked in and ready to go as soon as I give him the okay. Then we find Snart. We finally have a leg up on Flash. He doesn’t know Snart is alive, that we’re both out of prison. He knows none of it.”

Digger grinned again, righting himself on the chair. “And are you going to share the name of this mysterious other team member that you’ve managed to find?”

Mardon chuckled, “Oh, you’ll know very soon. By tomorrow afternoon, actually. Now stop playing with your fucking toys and let’s get to work.”

-

**Downtown Central City**

It had been a good morning.

He, Iris, and Joe had had a great time at dinner last night. For once, there wasn’t the lingering sadness from all the friends they’d lost recently. It felt a lot like the pre-Flash times, when Joe would make dinner and Barry and Iris would take off from work or class at least three times a week. Sometimes it was mostly to do laundry, but most of the time it had become tradition for the three of them.

That had all changed of course, when Cisco and Caitlin came along. Then Cecile and Wally and Harry, and everyone else that had been part of their team. Barry had been worried things would be awkward.

That without Cisco cracking a joke to ease tension, they wouldn’t be able to make it through dinner. But it had been fine, and for the first time Barry truly believed that things would be okay.

Still, it had been weird. He couldn’t help but remember that last dinner with them all together and feel sad about it.

“There’s an accident on 89th street, you might want to avoid that and just go to the Big Belly Burger on Howard St. instead.” Gideon spoke up in his ear, startling him out of his musings.

Barry slowed down just slightly, “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“The medics have already been on the scene and the police are clearing people out. It’ll be clear in 5.4 minutes, there’s nothing you could do now.” She responded.

“Okay, cool.” Barry nodded, doing as she suggested and bypassing the street entirely.

He rushed through the line at Big Belly Burger, leaving a hefty tip before shooting off again towards the Central City Citizen.

Iris had been stressed lately and this was his third day in a row of bringing her lunch. She often forgot to eat, whether she was chasing a lead, putting together a story, or trying her hardest to find a replacement member for her team. 

Allegra had taken up the photography duties in Kamilla’s absence. She was doing a pretty good job, in Barry’s humble opinion. She was certainly learning quickly, even if she didn’t have Kamilla’s years-worth of talent.

But Iris and Allegra couldn’t do it all themselves, two people couldn’t run a newspaper. And so she’d been looking for someone else to help. It hadn’t been an easy task. Although Iris’ newspaper was credible and popular amongst its readers, it was still very new and didn’t carry much traction yet.

Barry ran to the CCC and stopped just outside the door. The building held a lot of memories, and he tried not to think of Ralph as he knocked on the door. Iris didn’t like him bursting in unannounced, so he made sure to knock every time.

“Coming!” Allegra’s voice called from the other side.

Iris must’ve been working hard on a story and locked the door. Usually one of them just called for him to come in.

Sure enough, the lock clicked, and the door swung open to reveal Allegra smiling at him from the other side.

“Hi, Barry.” She stepped to the side and let him through.

He thanked her and slid inside, hearing her shut the door behind her. “I come bearing lunch.” He held up the bag towards Allegra enticingly as they headed into the adjoining room where Iris was clacking away at the keys on her keyboard, deep in thought.

“Ooh good. I’m starving.” She rubbed her stomach and sat down on the little sofa they kept in the office.

Barry joined her on the couch just as Iris looked up with a bright smile of her own. “Hey, Bar. I’m almost done with this section and then I can come join you guys. Don’t wait for me though, go ahead and dig in.”

“So how’s the hunt for a new team member going?” Barry asked, it was mainly for Allegra since Iris had gone back into “reporter mode” and probably couldn’t hear a word of what they were saying. He smiled at how cute he found her passion.

Allegra sighed. “It’s… Well, its not really going anywhere. We’ve had a few applications. Two of them were complete jokes, I think. I don’t think anyone’s name has that many profane words all at once.” She scrunched up her eyebrows, recalling one specific application.

Barry choked on a fry, partly amused, partly shocked and annoyed that people really did that, and it wasn’t just some thing Hollywood put in movies.

Allegra clapped him on the back and Iris sighed too, closing her laptop and moving to sit on the other side of Barry.

“I’d hoped that with how well its doing with readers, we’d be having more success. I guess money is just too important to some people.” Iris took out the last container of fries and dug in.

Allegra scoffed. “It’s not like you’re offering up chump-change. I would’ve killed to get paid that much for my first job. Not to mention the chance to get to work with _the_ Iris West-Allen. You freaking named The Flash! You’d think people would be eating that up.”

Barry silently ate his food, leaving the conversation to them, though he silently agreed with Allegra. Iris was an incredible reporter and her work on her blog way back when should have solidified her as such. Even more so with the work she’d been doing with the CCC these past two years. Anyone would be lucky to work with her.

Iris bit her lip, looking humbled at the compliment. “Maybe. But we’re so new and so small, I’m sure a lot of people just prefer the solidity and cushiness of a more well-known paper.”

Barry thought back to Iris’ CCPN days. God, things has been so different back then. They weren’t even together most of her time there.

“I’m sure someone will come along. Someone who cares more about the love of the story and the mystery than how much they’re getting paid.” Barry assured them both, sipping his coke, “Too bad we don’t know any-“

A sudden thought popped into his head and he sat up straighter. “Iris.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “What? You okay?”

“Linda.” He said excitedly, turning to her with a giant, enthusiastic smile on his face.

Her eyes widened a little bit and she sat up too. “Do you think she’d be open to talking about a position if I called her up?”

“I definitely think so. Linda knows what it’s like to be at a cushy job at a bigger newspaper. And she wasn’t super passionate about her position there, remember? She was all about the story. I think she’d more than consider it.”

Allegra asked confusedly behind him, “Uh, who’s Linda?”

“Linda Park.” Iris explained. “She was a good friend of mine that I worked with at Central City Picture News several years ago. Oh, and she’s also Barry’s ex-girlfriend.”

Allegra’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

Barry nodded, smirking over at Iris. “Oh yeah. Iris was very jealous of Linda and I’s relationship. Sort of even sabotaged it.”

“What?! I did not!” Iris sputtered, slapping Barry’s arm. “Okay, maybe I sort of helped her believe Barry and I had feelings for each other. And maybe we acted a little to coupley on that double date. But I never _actively_ tried to sabotage you two.”

Barry stifled a laugh, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. “I’m just kidding, babe. I was very much still in love with Iris when Linda and I dated. It did make for some pretty awkward situations. I still feel kinda bad.” He directed the last part towards Allegra.

Iris pushed playfully on his face, which was still very close to her own. “No but, in all seriousness, that’s really not a bad idea. I lost contact with her a year or two ago, so I’m not sure what she’s doing nowadays. Worth a shot though, right?”

“Definitely.” Barry agreed while Allegra began shifting around and cleaning up her empty fry box. She grabbed a still-wrapped burger and hurried to her computer. “I’ll look her up and get into contact with her. Unless you’d rather contact her with her personal email?” She asked Iris.

Iris shook her head. “No, I want it to be more professional. Mention to her that she can reach out and contact me directly if she has any specific questions though. I don’t want to seem too much like the hard-ass boss. Gotta ride that fine line.”

Barry loved watching her work, she was so damn good at this. He had no doubt it would become the giant media empire that Nora described in her notebook.

Allegra nodded enthusiastically and got to work at her desk, opening up the company email and typing away.

Iris turned back to him, an eager smile on her face. “I never would have thought to go back through old contacts. Thank you so much, Bar.” She leaned over and initiated the kiss this time.

He kissed back for a moment, that familiar wave of calm washing over him whenever he and Iris were this close. “Happy to help.” He responded against her lips.

She pecked his cheek as she pulled away. “I knew I kept you around for a reason, Barry Allen.” She teased.

“Oh, that’s the reason?” He laughed, grabbing his third burger and unwrapping it before taking a huge bite.

“Yep,” She sipped her water. “I thought you knew that when I married you.” She paused for a moment before speaking again, not giving him a chance to cheekily respond. “How are you doing though? With everything…?”

She didn’t explicitly say it and she didn’t need to.

He debated on lying or not. He had to admit he wasn’t sure comfortable talking about this with Allegra less than ten feet away.

But the look in her eyes told him she would neither buy, nor tolerate any lies and he knew she’d be able to spot them a mile away.

So, he spoke quieter than he was a moment ago, clearing his throat. “It’s okay. Just… lonely, I guess. It’s weird not having anyone on comms. I’m so used to hearing them in my ear.”

As the days passed and there was no sign of any of them, it got easier to tolerate. He hadn’t been to Star Labs for longer than a minute for several weeks. That place was too tainted by six years’ worth of memories between them all. Especially Cisco and Caitlin…

Iris nodded in understanding. “They were by your side for over six years, Barry. I’d be surprised if you weren’t still sad.” She squeezed his hand. “But it’ll get better. One day you won’t wait for them over comms before realizing they aren’t there. Plus, you have us if you need help. And Joe, of course.”

Barry smiled at her. “I know. And thank you. I’m so glad you’re still here with me. I’ll get over it eventually.”

“Maybe you should call Cisco and see how he’s doing…” Iris suggested but Barry was already shaking his head ‘no’.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that. It would be liking ripping off the band-aid before I’m ready. Have you-“ Barry was about to ask Iris if she’d talked to anyone before Gideon’s voice in his ear interrupted him.

“Sorry to interrupt, but there’s a situation in Englewood that requires your attention. The fire has gotten too large for them to handle.”

“Okay, I’ll get going, Gideon.” He looked up at Iris. “Sorry, babe. There’s a situation somewhere in Englewood. Gideon says they need me. It’s probably getting too close to Granite Peak National Park, I should go.”

“Be safe, alright?” She leaned up and pulled his neck down softly to kiss his lips goodbye. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Barry nodded and quickly changed into his suit, thrusting his ring out in front of him. “Will do. You two be safe too. Let me know if Linda ever gets back to you.” He waved to Allegra and smiled at Iris one more time before taking off and blowing some trash off the table.

He was already halfway across town when Gideon spoke again, “When you arrive, there’s a particular situation on the fifth floor of the apartment complex in the middle that needs your attention first.”

Barry thanked her and moved just a little faster, the feeling of lightning surging through him another reminder that he had his powers, it was going to be okay. They’d been stable for months now, there was no way they were going to stop working now.

But still, it was always a fear in the back of his mind. He never wanted to feel that helpless again.

He arrived not even a minute after he set off from the CCC and took another few seconds to sprint around the scene, assessing the damage already done to the buildings.

The smoke was everywhere and he could barely see a foot in front of him, feeling his lungs fill up with tainted air. Then he glanced up at the worst looking building and took off for the fifth floor.

The first and second floors were in complete ruins, and he knew they would only hold up the rest of the building for a couple of minutes at the very most.

He could hear the screaming and cries for help when he reached the fourth floor, and near the entrance to the staircase, he saw two firemen attempting to make their way through some fiery rubble where there were presumably citizens still trapped.

“I got this!” Barry called to them right before he picked one up and sped him out through the same path he used to get up there. The second fireman barely had time to blink and turn her head before Barry was already getting her out.

His internal clock reminded him that he had mere minutes before this building would collapse and he had to make sure everyone inside was out, and everyone outside was clear of collapsing debris.

“Gideon, what’s the structural integrity of the building at?” He called to her as he used his arms to create funnels and help suck the oxygen from the air, diluting most of the flames.

“It’s at 7.445%. Would you like me to turn on the police radio so you can listen to their updates?”

“Yes, please!” He ran to the sound of screams to find a young boy and is mother trapped in their closet. “Stay calm!” He called to them. “Do your best to stay away from the door while I pull this pillar away from it.”

He gave them a few seconds to comply before vibrating his hand and splitting the pilar in half, taking in a sharp intake of breath as he caught the top piece and felt his arms strain.

Managing to toss it aside, he opened the door and behind a bunch of coats and a few ruined boxes, the two were looking up at him, faces covered in soot and tears in their eyes.

He nodded at them in reassurance and sped the little boy out first, knowing his lungs would collapse first if he inhaled much more of this smoke.

Then he got her out and had them both checked over by the ambulance a few blocks down before he back to the building. He took each floor at a time and scanned them for any signs of life, thankfully finding none. When he finally felt like it was safe enough, he went about putting out the rest of the fires.

When he was finished, the building was nearly about to the collapse and much of the foundation was ash.

After doing the same thing for the two buildings on either side of the first one, he stopped in front of the captain.

By then, most of the media had left and the ambulances had taken people off to the hospital. The police were sifting through the debris just as he finished comforting one of the families who’d arrived home only to find their entire building on fire.

The captain was sweaty and looked utterly exhausted, but he managed to send a grateful smile Barry’s way.

“Thank you, Flash. We couldn’t have gotten those people out of there safely without you. Or kept these buildings from completely coming down on us.”

Barry waved off the praise. “Of course, captain. I was happy to help. Do you guys know what the cause of the fire was, yet?”

Barry had noticed that both the first and second floors were the worst of it, which suggested that it started on the first and quickly spread to the second.

“Not yet. We have a witness that says they were at their mailbox when a suspicious figure dressed in a black coat walked by. He said he’d never seen the man before in his life and he had been living there for over ten years.”

Barry glanced over at said man who was talking animatedly to an officer nearby, a blanket around his shoulders and his face also covered in soot. “Did he say what happened just before the fire started?”

The captain nodded, “Yep. Said that there was the strangest sound, one that was a cross between a loud squeaky noise and an explosion.”

So, you don’t think the cause was accidental. Someone set something off.” It wasn’t a question, more like a confirmation of what they were both beginning to suspect. 

“So far, that’s all we have to go on. We have officers and firemen doing their best to sift through the rubble right now. Do you think you could give them a hand? Might speed up the process a bit.”

He saluted, “I’m on it, sir.”

Nearly blowing the captain’s paper right off the clipboard, he started going through the debris at top speed, leaving some of the officers and firefighters standing there and watching him in awe.

It wasn’t until he reached what used to the back of the building before something underneath a broken wall made him pause.

Whatever it was, it had caught his eye almost immediately. It was the only thing in the area that wasn’t burnt to a crisp.

“Hey!” Barry called to the nearest officer. “What was this part of the building?”

The officer scratched his head, thinking for a moment. “I think this was the gym. The other two buildings have identical setups and that’s what one of the residents of one of the other buildings told us.”

Barry bent down and picked up the object. There was no reason to have this in the gym.

He had a feeling in his gut and he really hoped he was wrong. He ripped it open and sure enough, he could see the remnants of C-4.

So they came to the gym and let this thing go off, probably hidden behind some equipment where no one could see it.

He looked back down at it, worry and dread seeping into his body.

There was only one person he could think of that would ever use a rubber chicken as a means to detonate a bomb.

The Trickster was back in town.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, school has been crazy! Hope you enjoy this new chapter, things pick up a bit more here.  
> (Sorry for any mistakes btw!)  
> -Barry meets a new friend  
> -Things with the Rogues start to escalate as Barry learns a bit more about the situation

“So, you’re telling me someone broke the Trickster out of Iron Heights while I was dealing with the fire? And they couldn’t ID who the person was?”

Barry sat across from Joe in his office, looking at the other man with an incredulous look on his face.

Joe sighed and nodded, tapping the tip of his pen against the pad of paper that sat open on his desk. “Apparently the cameras were taken out long before anyone actually noticed something was up. No one can find a thing anywhere to suggest he was broken out. His cell was even fully intact.”

Barry rubbed his temples. James Jesse was a dangerous man. An unhinged, madman who thought blowing people up was the punchline for a joke. “And you think it was a meta that broke him out? I’m on it. I’ll go do some recon at the prison. Hey, what about-“

“Axel?” Joe interrupted, “Still in Blackgate. He was the first person I checked up on. Whoever broke James Jesse out of Iron Heights, it wasn’t his son.”

Barry chewed on his lower lip in thought, “I’m assuming you added extra security to his cell? Just in case Jesse comes by to try and free his son as well.”

Joe nodded in confirmation. “Yep. That was the second thing I did. I’ve got the legal side of things taken care of, there’s not much more the law can do for us here. I know this will be the first meta you’ve taken on since the team left, so I need to know if you can’t handle-“

Barry silenced him by putting his hand up. “I’ll be fine, Joe. I promise. I know Jesse isn’t exactly a simple criminal, but I’ve handled worse on my own.”

Then he stood up and managed a small smile Joe’s way. “I have to start learning to this stuff on my own. I’ve spent far too long relying on everyone else to do my job for me.”

Joe opened his mouth to disagree, probably to tell Barry that there was nothing wrong with needing help sometimes and that no matter what happened with Cisco and Caitlin, he would always have Joe and Iris.

But Barry didn’t want to hear that right now. He knew it was true, but he was only just now coming to terms with not having his best friends by his side.

“I know.” He said simply. “I won’t be reckless this time Joe. I’m not trying to do all this on my own and cutting everyone else off like I did after the singularity years ago. This is how it needs to be. You’re the captain, a father. You’re needed here. Iris is making her own difference in the world. It’s okay.” He assured Joe, giving him a smile to make his point. “It was always going to come to this point.”

Joe clearly didn’t know what else to say because he just nodded, looking down solemnly.

“I’ll call you later.” Barry nodded at him before taking off, leaving silence in his wake. 

He didn’t go far though, just ran up to his lab and plopped into a chair, getting to work on some reports that he knew were past due and needed his attention.

When he thought about wanting a distraction, this wasn’t what he had in mind. He wanted a simple meta that he could confront and put to justice, not a mystery with a madman on the loose and god knows who else helping said madman out.

How did Jesse get out without leaving a trace behind? He didn’t even have any powers. He had none of his tricks and toys with him.

Barry wasn’t aware of any new metas on the scene. There were no police reports or crimes to indicate as such. So, either this new meta was keeping things quiet or it was an inside job. He didn’t know of any tech that could get people in and out so quickly. 

His mind ran through every possible known meta out there right now. Most of the ones Cisco had found were benevolent right now. Scared and powerful but minding their own business. Cisco hadn’t indicated that any of them seemed evil or were poised to do bad things.

And the ones that were evil or looking to make a quick buck by stealing were locked up.

One of his machines beeped and he continued diligently working, hoping that something would come to him in that time.

Four hours came and went, and he didn’t even notice it had gotten dark outside or that the rain was gently pelting against the large glass windows of his lab.

“Hey.”

Barry looked up in surprise at the sound of Iris’ voice.

“Iris! Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you and Allegra were chasing a lead?” He put down the pen he was using to write his report and leaned across the table to kiss her lips.

She smiled, looking weary of his mood as always. “It didn’t really pan out. I told her to go home and get some rest. She’s been working really hard lately.”

She pulled out a chair and sat down in it, stifling yawn.

“You both have.” He pointed out. “You’ve both been pulling double duty to make up for Kamilla’s absence. You need to go rest too.”

Iris smiled, albeit a little sleepily. “Can’t. Guess who we heard back from a few hours after we sent her a message?”

“Linda?” Barry asked, surprised.

“Yep.” She popped the ‘p’. “She’s living in Keystone, apparently. Chasing around Kid Flash for stories.” Iris looked as giddy as she did tired. “Wally’s been kind enough to give her quotes every now and then. But how weird is that? We need her help and it turns out she needs support just as much as we do. With the same thing nonetheless.”

Barry shook his head with a fond smile, sitting down across from her. “Sounds like fate to me.”

“It’s crazy, right?” Iris yawned, this time unable to stifle it. “Anyways, she was so excited to hear from me that she took the first train from Keystone and we’re going to have dinner tonight to discuss things. A potential job, I’m hoping.”

Barry was impressed. “I’m telling you, babe. The Central City Citizen is going to be a media empire before you know it. People are going to clambering to work for you.”

“Stop.” Iris laughed with a blush tinting her cheeks. “You’re just a flatterer. I doubt it’ll reach ‘empire’ status.”

Barry reached across the table and grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers. Specifically her ring finger. “Just repeating our own daughters words to you.”

Iris’ eyes flicked up to his. They still didn’t mention Nora all that often as it was still a painful subject. And before the team left, Barry would catch her in the time vault, just gazing up at the display of Nora’s suit.

“She was from the future, after all. She knew better than either of us how successful you’re going to become.”

Iris licked her lips and squeeze his fingers lightly.

She didn’t say anything and she didn’t need to. They both knew how important it was to the both of them that they honor Nora.

Whatever happened in the future, Nora would never be the same Nora they knew.

The Nora they knew, grew up with a father that died in Crisis. The Nora they knew they were going to have someday would never have to suffer through that.

But knowing the Nora they came to love was gone for good had been a tough pill to swallow at first.

Barry cleared his throat, breaking the comfortable silence that had washed over them as they both remembered Nora fondly. “So, what time is this dinner of yours?”

“Half an hour,” Iris cleared her throat, “You can come along if you want. I’m sure you’re hungry. My dad says you haven’t left your lab since this morning. He’s been checking in on you and says you haven’t noticed.”

Barry startled. “What? No, that’s okay Iris. This should be a dinner between friends, I shouldn’t be there to distract either of you.”

Iris smiled and shook her head. “She asked about you too, you know? She was curious about how we were both doing.”

Barry turned beet red. “Really, Iris its fine. I don’t want to make things weird. This is your thing.”

Iris rolled her eyes with a fond smile. “You sure? It wouldn’t be weird unless we made it weird.”

“It’s okay, babe. I swear. This is about you and your job.”

She nodded, though she looked skeptical. Maybe he really should get out there and make some more friends. Both and Joe and Iris probably thought he was becoming a recluse.

He was also very tired of the pitying looks. He knew they loved him and there was nothing negative stemming from their pity. But it made him feel self-conscious. And he truly wanted everyone to have their own friends and their own lives. He never wanted anyone he cared about to feel like they had to share every aspect of their lives with him. It probably wasn’t normal in most families.

Iris studied him for another couple seconds before glancing at the clock. “Okay. I should get going. The drive to the restaurant is about twenty minutes long. “Love you.” She pecked his lips, “I’ll probably be home kinda late tonight so don’t wait up for me.”

He smiled and nodded his head, watching her grab her purse and head back out the door. He hadn’t gotten back into his paperwork for more than five minutes when another head popped into the doorway.

“Barry, you’re still here?”

Joe sounded both amused and exasperated.

Barry scratched his head. “Uh, yeah. Just getting a head start on some paperwork.”

“Good.” Joe stepped into the room and came up behind Barry, forcibly pushing him out his seat.

“Hey-“

“Get out of here. Go out and get something to eat, get some fresh air. Go to a damn club for all I care. Just get away from the precinct and relax. And that is a direct order, from your captain.” Joe had his arms crossed resolutely as he watched Barry.

_Oh, Joe was going to start pulling rank now?_

“Fine.” Barry couldn’t help the slight smile on his lips.

Joe gestured for him to grab his stuff. “And if you come back tonight, I’ll know. I asked all the officers on desk duty tonight to come up here and check to make sure you weren’t working.

Wow. He was really going to great lengths to make sure Barry got out more.

Barry did as he was told and grabbed his jacket and bag from the warn out old locker he’d had for almost a decade now.

“I’m going.” He held up his hands in mock-surrender as Joe watched him closely. “I’ll call you later.”

“Be safe.” Joe replied just before Barry sped off.

He made his way out onto the street and sped past all the cars in the road. Maybe he could patrol for a bit. He’d asked Gideon only to tell him about major issues or meta related ones while he was working, but maybe he could help with smaller things now. Getting cats out of trees and whatnot.

It’s what he usually did when he was bored.

“Hey, Gideon?” Barry called his AI, pushing down on the earpiece.

There was a brief moment of silence as the device turned on before her familiar voice rang in his ear. “Good evening, Barry Allen. What can I help you with?”

“What’s going on around town? Anything The Flash can do?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Allen. I’m under strict orders not to let you patrol or interfere unless someone’s life is in danger.”

“What?!” Barry almost skidded to a halt before he remembered he was in the middle of Highway 52. “Orders from whom?”

“Iris West-Allen.” Gideon said simply like it didn’t bother her one bit.

“Iris reprogrammed you?”

He slowed down a bot as he approached the apartment, phasing through the wall and heading up the stairs.

“She had Cisco Ramon reprogram me before he left.” Barry felt a tiny jolt of sadness at the mention of Cisco’s name. “She said even if you reverse the hack, she wants you to think about yourself for a change and try to meet some new people. She was very adamant about it.”

Barry sighed, tossing his backpack onto the bed. “And what do you think, Gideon?”

“Truthfully? She asked, “I think you’ve been sad and lonely ever since your friends left and she’s right. You need a balance or you’re going to crash and burn. I’ll let you know if something pops up that truly needs your help.”

Barry sighed. This time the nerves were getting the better of him. He had never been an extremely social person. Cisco and Caitlin had kind of been thrust on him in a way. They really had no choice but to become friends.

But this was all on him. This had been what he’d always been most afraid of. Either come out of his shell or face loneliness for the rest of his life.

And the perfect place he could meet people without making a complete ass of himself?

Trivia Night at Jitters. He remembered when he and Felicity had double-dated with Iris and Eddie that time and it had been a blast. So he also knew that they held trivia nights on Wednesday’s, Thursday’s, and Friday’s.

He tried not think too much about how he looked as he put on a cleaner pair of jeans and a flannel with his jacket. He was just going to trivia night, after all.

Then he ran back out of the apartment and back into town.

Skidding to a halt in front of Jitters, he took a deep breath.

_It’s okay. This is okay. You can do this. You can make friends. At the very least you can have a good time tonight and maybe win a months worth of free coffee for you and some random strangers._

He blew out his lips and shook out his arms before pushing the glass doors open and feeling the warmth from the coffee shop overwhelm him.

Similar to the last time he went to trivia night, the tables were all pushed into one spot near the center of the room. Six tables meant six teams and most of them were already full.

A perky brunette behind the counter was waving him over and he recognized her as Eve, who’d worked here back when Iris worked here.

“Hey you. Haven’t seen you around here much lately.” She greeted as he stepped over to her with a smile.

“Hey yourself. Yeah, Iris and I have been super busy. How bout you? How’s college going?” Barry leaned his forearms against the counter, secretly glad to have found someone he already kind of knew.

She chuckled. “Almost done, thankfully. One more semester of some gen-Ed requirements and I’m done. I’ll kind of miss working at this old place, but it’s time for a change, ya know?”

“That’s great, Eve! I’m sure you’re going to take the ecology world by storm. I get needing a change though. Sometimes you can get… too comfortable.” He agreed, his stomach twisted but he kept the polite smile on his face.

If she noticed the sadness in his tone, she didn’t press the subject, which he was grateful for. “Well, I’ll never forget one of my favorite customers and one of the most generous tippers I’ve ever met.” She giggled, making Barry also chuckle a little. “Now, are you here for a coffee or are you here to sign up for trivia night?”

“Trivia night.” He confirmed, looking back at the tables. “Is there any room for a loner on one of the teams? Or are they all people that came together?”

Eve looked down at the list that was next to her register, scanning through the teams. “Looks like you’re in luck, team 6 is a mix-match of people. One couple and someone who came alone. I can put you down on their team?”

Barry scanned the tables and found the one with a small 6 printed on a sheet of paper hanging off the edge of the table.

The couple were whispering and giggling to themselves, occasionally sipping their coffees. The person who came alone was on her phone, cracking smiles here and there. They seemed friendly enough.

He turned back to Eve. “Yeah, put me down on their team. And can you get be a grande Flash? Oh and thanks. For everything.” He smiled and slid a ten dollar bill into her tip jar.

“Barry, you don’t have to-“

“I want to.” He grinned at her sheepish look before heading straight for table six.

He approached the table with butterflies swarming in his belly. “Hey,” He said, a little shakier and nervous than he intended. “I hope you guys don’t mind if I join your team? It was the only one with a free spot.”

“Not at all!” The man, who was with his wife (if the silver band on his ring finger was anything to go by), smiled with very white teeth at him as he gestured for Barry to sit down in the free spot across from him. “I’m Jake and this is my wife Mallory.”

He nodded politely at both of them.

“And I’m Sojourner. But you can just call me Jo.” The woman shook his hand vigorously.

“Barry.” He responded, taking in the woman in front of him. 

She was dressed in a black leather jacket, grey shirt, and ripped up jeans, showing off warm brown skin. Her hair was a cross between a mohawk and an Afro and she wore an orange headwrap that matched the case on her phone. She was the epitome of cool and Barry was stupidly shocked that someone this cool was sitting here for trivia night at a coffee shop.

He pointed to the white board with the name they’d decided on, trying to break the ice. “Granger Zone, nice. Glad I’m in the presence of fellow Harry Potter fans.”

“We contemplated kicking any non-Harry Potter fan off the team should they decide to join.” Jake winked.

“Trivia starts in five minutes, people. Don’t forget to get your coffee now. You may not have time during the game!” The announcer called over the little microphone he had set up by the TV screen and his iPad.

There was a rumbling of more chatter as people began discussing team names.

Mallory reached over to whisper something to her husband and it sent the two into a fit of laughter again.

“Honestly,” ‘Jo’ leaned over to whisper to him, “I’m glad you showed up. I was starting to feel like a third wheel with those two.”

Barry chuckled. “Glad I could save you from that. I know what that’s like.”

She grinned wider. “So, what brings you here all by yourself. You just a huge trivia lover to something?”

He shrugged. “My wife and father-in-law thought I needed to get out and socialise with humans for a change. I’ve been cooped up in my lab for a while now.”

“Lab?” Jo prodded.

“Crime lab. I’m a forensic scientist over at CCPD.” Barry thanked Eve when she placed his ‘Flash’ in front of him.

“Wow. Impressive.” She nodded, looking just as impressed as the words she spoke.

Barry sipped his coffee, feeling relief at the hot liquid warming up his entire body. “What about you? What brings you here on a Friday night?”

“I’m uh, new in town. I saw a flier for trivia night on a post near my apartment building. Thought it might be a good place to be forced to talk to new people. Maybe make a friend or two.” She shrugged.

“Well, I’m here if you have any questions. I’ve lived in Central City all my life. I’m kind of an expert.” He leaned in, faux-conspiratorially.

“I’ll hold you to that, Barry.”

They shared another smile before the announcer tapped his microphone. “Alright people. Let’s get started!” He pulled up the questions on his iPad. “First category is ‘Game of Thrones’! Now, what does “Valar Morghulis” mean in High Valyrian? You have thirty seconds to answer. Go!”

He reminded them that the rules of the game were on the screen behind them and not to answer unless they were entirely sure.

Turns out the couple were huge Game of Thrones fans and had the answer almost instantly.

The question was a biology, which Barry got in a second. The questions kept coming for the next half hour and by that time, Barry had had two more Flash’s and was feeling more comfortable with his teammates.

Especially Jo. He’d learned she was thinking about applying to the academy for police training and eventually working at CCPD. He learned that she left her previous place because of work and her fiancée of two years had broken it off.

They were just finishing up a basketball question when they heard a large crash outside.

Silence fell over the coffee shop for a moment as everyone waited for a repeat sound. When it happened again, this time with some shouting, the announcer decided to take a peek outside.

He peered out the door and paled, jumping backwards as a body flew past the doorway. “Oh, here we go again.” He grumbled.

_“Barry, we’ve got a situation with a meta.”_ Gideon spoke in his ear.

Barry’s back straightened. “I uh, gotta go.” He stood up.

“Me too.” Jo agreed, bolting for the other door. The couple weren’t paying any kind to them as some people packed their stuff up and others ran to the windows to watch the chaos.

Barry took that as his opportunity to run outside, thrusting out his ring and changing into his suit.

“Gideon, what’s the situation?”

“We got a meta that’s been driven further down the street by the police. The fight has moved six blocks this way. There is no clear reason as to why the fight began. Nothing was stolen. He just attacked.”

He nodded and ran around the side of the building, hanging back a moment to survey the situation.

His body ran cold as he watched Sam Scudder hop through a mirror portal and come out on the other side of a police officer, slicing him in the side with a mirror shard.

He looked amused, sadistic, and angrier than he ever remembered Sam Scudder looking.

Barry surged forward, getting the police officer out of harms way and down several blocks.

When he turned back to face Scudder, he had a smirk on his face. “Hey there, Flash. Long time no see. Nice suit!” He had that same air of arrogance about him, only this time his girlfriend Rosalind Dillon wasn’t by his side.

“Hey, Scudder.” Barry replied casually, using his superspeed to look all around them and make sure there were no cops or civilians in the way. “Whatcha up to?”

He bit his cheek when he saw a cop on the ground near Scudder, clutching his leg.

Scudder laughed. “God, I missed this.”

“What are you doing? How did you get out of Iron Heights?”

“Nah. Just felt like messing with some coppers.” He shrugged, fixing the tie on his suit.

“Ha ha.” Barry mocked, taking slow steps towards him. “I’m serious Scudder. Answer the questions or we’re done here.”

Scudder smirked harder. “Alright, Flash. I’ll bite. Let’s just say an old friend helped me out. They’re _very_ good at breaking in and out of places. By the time those fatass guards even noticed anything, we were long gone.”

Barry blinked. This was the second breakout in a few days time. There was no way this was a coincidence. Someone was breaking these metas out on purpose. But why?

“Anyways. This was just me getting some exercise. Haven’t been able to use my powers in a while, you see.” Scudder buffed his nails, ridding the against the lapel of his jacket.

Barry shook his head. “Alright, that’s enough.” He moved towards Scudder again, about to run at superspeed when a bolt of lightning came from nowhere and stuck him hard in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Another one hit him as he was in the air and he crashed hard into the concrete from the force of it.

He clutched his chest and heaved, feeling the white hot pain shooting to his toes and making his entire lower half numb.

Scudder threw out his fist and made a portal, jerking his head up to the sky. “A storm is coming, Flash. You better prepare yourself.” He began to hop through the portal.

Fighting through the numbness and pain, Barry pushed off the concrete and grit his teeth.

Everything was in slow motion as he reached for Scudder. He was a mere second too late and within that second, Scudder was gone.

He cursed himself as he skidded to a stop where Scudder disappeared. He shouldn’t have pressed Scudder to talk. He should’ve just grabbed him. But he didn’t want the cop caught in the crossfire and he thought he could distract Scudder long enough.

Turns out this planned anyways. Those bolts of lightning came from nowhere. Well, not nowhere.

He wheezed and held his aching chest. Those were really powerful bolts of lightning.

There’s only one way they could come out of the sky without a cloud in sight.

Mardon. He had to have been the one that broke Trickster out and Scudder too. He had to have been the mastermind because he was the only one he hadn’t spotted yet.

But how did he get out of prison himself? Or was the someone even more powerful pulling all the strings.

The biggest question now was: who else had they recruited?

Moreover, how was he going to tackle all of this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you know you who Sojourner is in DC comics, props to you!  
> Until next communion!

**Author's Note:**

> Until next communion!


End file.
